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2002 AIME II Problems/Problem 10

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Problem

While finding the sine of a certain angle, an absent-minded professor failed to notice that his calculator was not in the correct angular mode. He was lucky to get the right answer. The two least positive real values of x for which the sine of x degrees is the same as the sine of x radians are \frac{m\pi}{n-\pi} and \frac{p\pi}{q+\pi}, where m, n, p, and q are positive integers. Find m+n+p+q.

Solution

Note that x degrees is equal to \frac{\pi x}{180} radians. Also, for \alpha \in \left[0 , \frac{\pi}{2} \right], the two least positive angles \theta > \alpha such that \sin{\theta} = \sin{\alpha} are \theta = \pi-\alpha, and \theta = 2\pi + \alpha.

Clearly x > \frac{\pi x}{180} for positive real values of x.

\theta = \pi-\alpha yields: x = \pi - \frac{\pi x}{180} \Rightarrow x = \frac{180\pi}{180+\pi} \Rightarrow (p,q) = (180,180).

\theta = 2\pi + \alpha yields: x = 2\pi + \frac{\pi x}{180} \Rightarrow x = \frac{360\pi}{180-\pi} \Rightarrow (m,n) = (360,180).

So, m+n+p+q = \boxed{900}.

See also

2002 AIME II (ProblemsResources)
Preceded by
Problem 9
Followed by
Problem 11
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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